domingo, 16 de março de 2008

Free Tibet and warlords of comunist China

The text below, extracted from Wikipedia (link at the end), exemplifies the problems China has with fundamental human rights and the ways it deals with disagreeing views and opposition. The invasion of Tibet by China since 1950-1951, forcing the government and the Dalai Lama to flee into exile has meant injustice, suffering and lack o liberty and self-ruling to a long existing nation in the roof of the world. All in favor of power to the government comunist status quo. Lets start a campaign favoring the boycott from the athletes and teams and federations and countries to this Olympic games, taking in consideration also the risks athletes shall be imposed by the exposing to air pollution - which shall be severe and life threatening in some cases, or at least worsening results in most cases. In the name of educating future generations, of the spirit of the sports and con fraternization and humanistic values to strengthen civilization, let's pay the price for canceling this edition, giving the time to reflection about how to change. And screw China, banning it and other communist, authoritarian , dictatorial autocratic or religious governments for three editions of the games. Sometimes world and humanity can leap forward by been straight and hard on its decisions and beliefs. Let me know your considerations, if possible in English, so the public able to read will be broader.

Violence in Lhasa

Tibet Autonomous Region

An eyewitness at the scene said monks set police cars on fire after a demonstration near a small temple in Lhasa was stopped by police. "The monks are still protesting. Police and army cars were burned. There are people crying," she said.[2] Tensions in Lhasa have increased as the city's three biggest monasteries were sealed off by thousands of soldiers and armed police amid the largest protests in nearly two decades. Chinese authorities reportedly fired warning shots and used tear gas and electric prods to disperse hundreds of protesters, in addition to detaining up to 50 monks. [2]US embassy officials in Beijing told the Associated Press that U.S. citizens had reported gunfire and rioting in Lhasa.[3]

Protesters appeared to be targeting shops and vehicles owned by Han Chinese, the predominant ethnic group in China.[4] According to the BBC, protesters have been focused on setting fire to and looting businesses owned by the Han Chinese.[1] According to CNN, a Han girl was in the hospital after she had been beaten by a group of Tibetans.[4]

According to The Economist, "The mobs, ranging from small groups of youths (some armed with traditional Tibetan swords) to crowds of many dozens, including women and children, rampaged through the narrow alleys of the Tibetan quarter. They battered the shutters of shops, broke in and seized whatever they could, from hunks of meat to gas canisters and clothing. Some goods they carried away, while other goods were thrown into large fires lit on the street.[1] Little children could also be seen looting a toyshop..."[5]

The Guardian reported that according to foreign eyewitness accounts, protesters have been attacking Han, MuslimHui and other ethnic minorities, with the exception of foreigners.[6] It described that with the exception of Tibetan-owned hotels, many other hotels were vandalized and smashed.[6] The eyewitness also reported seeing three protesters stabbing an unconscious man.[6]

Protesters also set a mosque on fire in late Friday night, possibly in protest to the increasingly large Hui ethnic community in Lhasa.[7][8]

An eyewitness account described a green armored vehicle plowing into the crowd, running people over, at approximately 3 p.m. on March 14.[9]

Protest in other provinces

Gansu Province

Qinghai Province

Sichuan Province

Gansu protests

The Tibetan protests spread outside of the Tibet Autonomous Region for the first time. Demonstrations by ethnic Tibetans and monks took place in the northwest province of Gansu on Saturday, March 15, 2008. [10] The protests were centered around Gansu's Labrang Monastery, which is one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastaries outside of Tibet.[10] Demonstrators marched through the streets of Xiahe, a predominantly Tibetan county in Gansu which surrounds the Labrang Monastery. [11] Up to 5,000 demonstrators were reportedly involved in the Gansu protests.[10] There were reports of Chinese government offices being damaged by the protesters, and Chinese police using tear gas and force to break up the demonstrations.[10]

Sichuan protests

In Sichuan province, Tibetan monks and police clashed March 16 in Aba county after the monks staged a protest, one policeman had been killed and three or four police vans had been set on fire. The India-based Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy said at least seven people have been shot dead; however the claim could not be immediately confirmed.[12]

Protests outside China

Hundreds of Tibetan exiles in India marched from the town of Dharamshala to the Indo-Chinese border, to mark their protest against Chinese occupation of Tibet. Indian authorities arrested more than 100 Tibetan protesters.[13] Indian police also arrested a dozen Tibetan exiles attempting to storm the Chinese embassy in New Delhi.[14] India's harsh crackdown on pro-Tibet protests in the country was largely seen as a sign of India distancing itself from the Tibetan cause in an attempt to improve relations with China.

Tibetans living in the Indian state of Meghalaya closed their businesses and staged demonstrations to protest the Chinese crack down in Tibet.[18]

People's Republic of China response

The People's Republic of China responded by deploying the People's Armed Police on the third day of protests[2] and closing down monasteries. China also denied foreign media's request to enter Tibet. According to General Yang Deping, military troops from the People's Liberation Army will not be used. [19]

Chinese authorities are also reportedly concerned that the Tibetan protests could inspire Uighur activists in nearby Xinjiang province to organize street protests as well.[11]

The PRC-appointed 11th Panchen Lama, Gyaincain Norbu, condemned the unrest, saying "the rioters' acts not only harmed the interests of the nation and the people, but also violated the aim of Buddhism. We resolutely oppose all activities to split the country and undermine ethnic unity. We strongly condemn the crime of a tiny number of people to hurt the lives and properties of the people."[20]

Casualties

The US Congress-funded Radio Free Asia quoted witnesses who said they had seen at least two bodies on Lhasa's streets.[1] On early Saturday, it was reported that ten people so far have been burned to death by rioters, including two hotel employees and two shop owners, but no foreigners were hurt.[21] According to China's Xinhua News Agency, most of the victims were business people and innocent civilians.[22][23]

Tibet's government-in-exile said on Saturday that it had received "unconfirmed reports" of as many as 100 deaths in unrest in Tibet.[24] Later, the Tibetan exile government said on Sunday that it has confirmed at least 80 deaths.[25] However, according to The Economist, these reports of death toll released by Tibet's exile government are "persistent" but "unsubstantiated".[26]The Economist described that there are no convincing accounts of the kind of bloodshed of that of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests or the earlier Tibetan protests in the 1980s.[26]

International reaction

The Dalai Lama, head of Tibet's government in exile in India, called on China's government to stop using force, and urged his fellow Tibetans to refrain from violence.[14]

Chairman Qiangba Puncog, leader of the Tibet Autonomous Region's government, told the Associated Press, "We will deal harshly with these criminals who are carrying out activities to split the nation." [1]

India's Ministry of External Affairs released the following statement: "We are distressed by reports of the unsettled situation and violence in Lhasa, and by the deaths of innocent people. We would hope that all those involved will work to improve the situation and remove the causes of such trouble in Tibet, which is an autonomous region of China, through dialogue and non-violent means." [27]

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour urged the Chinese government to allow protesters to "exercise their right to freedom of expression and assembly" and urged the Chinese government to refrain from excessive force or mistreatment of any individuals arrested.[29]

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a statement on March 15 that "she was watching the violence in Tibet with concern".[30]

Netherlands Member of Parliament Hans van Baalen (VVD) stated in the Dutch news' television show Netwerk that China should refrain from any violence other than absolutely necessary to maintain order in the region, and that China should start a dialog with the Dalai Lama in order to come to a peaceful solution. He also stated that any decision on whether or not to participate in the 2008 Olympic games was up to the athletes themselves.[32]

Poland's parliamentaryPolish-Tibetan Group condemned the Chinese reaction at the riots and threatened China with boycotting the Olympic Games [33]

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said, "Basically, it is a domestic issue for China but we hope that both sides will exercise self-restraint so that the disturbance will not spread." Kazuo Kodama, press secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement that Japan is concerned about the situation in Tibet and was "closely watching the current situation in the city of Lhasa."[34]

Taiwan's foreign ministry issued a statement saying, "We strongly condemn China's use of force to suppress Tibet and urge the international community to monitor the development in Tibet." The Mainland Affairs Council also condemned the Chinese response.[35]

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